Chapter 8

Production and Serving Controls

Planning and Control for

Food and Beverage Operations

Ninth Edition
Dos and Don’ts of Production and
Serving Controls

• Serving is not a science but an art. Like acting, it requires

proper timing, accuracy, and a host of other talents.
• Production and serving involve many more activities (and
many more employees) than other control points.
• Labor-saving equipment has not replaced people in many
hospitality tasks.
• In food production and serving, it is difficult to separate the
tasks of managing and controlling from personnel
supervision.
• Production and serving control procedures should never be
implemented without considering the impact they are likely
to have on guests.

Slide 1
Production Planning

Employees with food and beverage production

responsibilities are accountable for ensuring that
products served to guests meet the operation’s
standards for:
• Wholesomeness
• Goodness
• Attractiveness

Slide 2
Production Control Points
Food production comprises three control points:
• Preparing
• Cooking
• Holding
Beverage production typically includes only one
control point, since most drinks are prepared, if
necessary, immediately before serving.
However, some mixes, such as the ones used for
Bloody Mary drinks, may be prepared before the
shift begins.
Slide 3
Forecasting Production Requirements

Step 1—Determine the percentage of guests ordering

each menu item.
Sales history
Number of each menu item sold during each meal period,
each day, each week
Number of guests served during each meal period, each day,
each week
Calculate:
Total number of a menu item sold = Percentage of guests
Total number of guests served ordering item

Slide 4
Forecasting Production Requirements,
cont.

Step 2—Estimate required servings.

Forecast
Number of estimated guests for each meal period,
each day, each week
Calculate:
Estimated guests × percentage of guests ordering item
= Estimated servings

Slide 5
Production Planning Meetings

Regularly scheduled planning meetings help

employees with production responsibilities to
coordinate their efforts. These meetings may
include or lead to:
• Adjusted estimates of production needs.
• More accurate estimates of purchasing needs.
• Updated estimates of required labor and
equipment.
• Filling out partial food requisition forms.

Slide 6
Make/Buy Decisions

Whenever a manager needs to decide whether to purchase an

item or to produce it on-site, a make/buy analysis is necessary.
Three steps are involved:
1. Determine whether a product of acceptable quality can be
purchased. If the answer is “no,” then the analysis must
proceed no further–the item in question must either be
produced on-site or dropped from the menu.
2. The manager must compare both food and labor costs
under both scenarios and determine which option is more
cost-effective.
3. If a change to the existing procedure is made, effective
implementation is crucial. For example, if an operation
decides to purchase an item to reduce labor costs but does
not adjust the schedule, food costs will rise and labor costs
will remain the same.

Slide 7
Production Control Essentials
Control during production begins with meeting
established operating standards, including:
• Quality
• Value
• Standard food purchase specifications
• Standard recipes
• Standard yields
• Standard portion sizes
• Standard portion costs for food production
• Standard glass and ice sizes for beverage
production
Slide 8
Maintaining Production Standards
Several factors make it possible for employees to
comply with production standards:
• Training programs for new staff members and
ongoing professional development sessions for
seasoned workers
• Having all relevant information readily
available at every workstation
• Having all necessary tools and equipment
available and making sure that all staff
members are in the habit of using them
• Watchful supervision
Slide 9
The Value of Standard Recipes
It’s easy to think of a recipe as nothing more than a list of
ingredients, but in fact it can also be a valuable
production tool. Some of the ways in which the use of
standard recipes can contribute to an operation’s control
system include:
• The use of standard quantities and ingredients makes it
possible to determine the required amount of
production time and the amount of ingredients that will
be needed.
• Work practices can be made more efficient–cooks can
be reminded what pots, pans, and utensils are needed
and when to turn off production equipment.
• Safety advice can also be built into standard recipes.

Slide 10
Food Cost Control Procedures

• Require standard cost control tools be used

consistently.
• Issue food items according to forecasted
requirements.
• Train staff.
• Minimize food waste.
• Use proper quality items.
• Monitor employee eating/drinking areas.

Slide 11
Food Cost Control Procedures, cont.

• Put unused items back in storage.

• Require management approval for discarding
items.
• Match issue and production records with sales
records.
• Resolve bottlenecks during busy periods.
• Ensure measuring/weighing/portion control
tools are used.

Slide 12
Special Beverage Cost
Control Procedures

• Use standard recipes.

• Ensure portion control tools (jiggers/shot
glasses) are used.
• Observe and supervise staff.
• Lock bar inventories when not in use.
• Match beverage used with revenue generated.
• Hold bartender responsible for cash and behind-
the-bar inventory.

Slide 13
What Do Dining Guests Expect
from a Server?

• Courteous and attentive service

• Friendly but professional behavior
• A thorough knowledge of the menu, daily
specials, and the ingredients and production
methods used
• Accuracy in taking their orders
• Delivery of food and beverages that is
appropriately timed

Slide 14
What Do Dining Guests Expect
from a Server?, cont.

• Cleanliness
• Prompt removal of finished food and beverages
• Alertness to when the guest is ready to leave
and presentation of the bill at an appropriate
time
• A problem-free visit
• A sincere effort to make things right if anything
does go wrong

Slide 15
What Additional Expectations Do
Managers Have of Servers?

Managers expect servers to do everything possible to

meet or exceed the expectations of their guests. In
addition, they want servers to do several things that
guests are not likely to expect or notice:
• Use suggestive selling techniques to recommend
additional items (ideally, ones that are more
profitable for the property).
• Comply with all in-house rules relating to entering
orders into the POS system and collecting revenue.
• Keep an eye on guests to ensure that none leave
without paying.
• Clear and reset tables promptly when a guest
leaves.
Slide 16
Suggestive Selling

If a server uses suggestive selling techniques to

sell a bottle of wine, an appetizer, or a dessert
that guests would not have purchased otherwise,
then all three parties benefit:
• The guests have enjoyed products that they
otherwise might not have ordered.
• The server has increased the check size and,
probably, the tip.
• The food and beverage operation has generated
increased revenue.
Slide 17
Service Control Factors
• Timing of service
• Staff communication
• Effects of favoritism
• Adequate supplies
• Temperature and holding time
• Updated job descriptions
• Food appearance
• Expediters
• Food checkers
Slide 18
“Help Yourself” Service
• Many food service operations offer “help
yourself” salad bars, dessert bars, and other
buffet-style venues.
• These arrangements have a built-in advantage,
since they provide guests with the convenience,
speed, and flexibility they desire.
• However, guests also expect value, which in
this case is affected by the quality, variety, and
quantity of the offerings. For this reason,
attention must be paid to making sure that
guests feel that they are receiving value.
Slide 19
Self-Service Challenges

• Although service labor costs are reduced, they

may still be higher than originally estimated. As
a result, a manager who implements self-
service options in hopes of reducing these
expenses may be disappointed.
• Food cost reconciliation must also be
considered. Consumption can also be more
difficult to forecast and account for than in à la
carte operations.
• Food waste is difficult to avoid.
Slide 20
Self-Service Tactics
• Using effective sales forecasting to estimate the
number of guests and the potential consumption of
available menu items.
• “Learn from the garbage can” by noting which
items are most often discarded.
• Portion control is possible with self-service items.
Plates and bowls that are larger than needed
encourage over-portioning.
• Replenish self-service stations with less food more
frequently.
• Food presentations should be attractive, neat,
and—most importantly—clean.
Slide 21
Technology and the
Service Control System

Traditionally, POS system terminals have been

available in designated server stations. In such a
system, these terminals are connected to local
and workstation printers to form a
communication network between production work
areas and service stations. However, an increasing
number of food and beverage operations are
turning to new technologies. These include:
• Hand-held server terminals
• Kiosks (self-service terminals)

Slide 22
Hand-Held Server Terminals

• Hand-held server terminals are remote (wireless) palm-size

devices that perform most of the functions of a POS
pre-check terminal, thereby enabling servers to enter orders
at tableside.
• Two-way communications capability allows a server to
deliver special instructions to production areas. Production
employees can also communicate with the server to report
that an item is out of stock or that it is ready for pickup.
• Because all items must be entered through the server’s
hand-held unit, the common problem of menu items being
inadvertently left off guest checks can be reduced.
• Hand-held server terminals use low-frequency FM radio
transmission and receiving technology. When a server
touches a sensitized area of a hand-held device, an electric
charge is produced.

Slide 23
Self-Service Terminals (Kiosks)
• Some quick-service and casual-service
restaurants use customer-activated ordering
systems that enable guests to order foods and
beverages without interacting with counter
employees.
• These alternatives allow greater guest
involvement in the ordering process, reduce
labor costs, and increase the speed of service.
• After payment is authorized, the order is
produced in the food preparation area for pick-
up by the guest.

Slide 24
Additional Features Available on
Some Kiosks

Some kiosks can be programmed to:

• Incorporate color graphic components, including
photos and character drawings.
• Use suggestive selling to increase check averages.
• Inform guests about out-of-stock and on-sale items.
• Tell guests the estimated preparation time for
their food.
• Generate coupons for use by guests.
• Provide multi-language voice prompts.

Slide 25
Automated Beverage Control
System Components
• Console faucet dispensing units can be located almost
anywhere in the bar area, and are capable of dispensing
beverages in various portion sizes.
• Hose-and-gun devices have control buttons on the gun’s
handle, which is connected by hoses to liquors, carbonated
beverages, water, and wine tanks. These dispensers can be
installed anywhere along the bar. They are frequently
included as standard equipment on portable bars and at
service bar locations.
• Mini-tower pedestal dispensing units combine the portion-
size capabilities of console faucet units with the button
selection technique of hose-and-gun devices. They also offer
increased bar control. They can be located on a wall, ice
machine, or pedestal base in the bar area.
• Bundled tower units dispense a variety of beverage items.
Each liquor type has its own line to the tower unit. A number
of different pressurized systems can be used to enhance
delivery from storage areas.
Slide 26
Advantages of Automated Beverage
Control Systems

• Faster drink preparation

• Sales control
• Reduced need for manual controls
• Fewer bartender errors
• Large bottles/lower costs
• Fewer employees

Slide 27
Disadvantages of Automated Beverage
Control Systems

• Crises when equipment malfunctions

• Maintenance costs
• Guest perceptions—smaller portions/lower-
quality drinks

Slide 28